


One Thousand Needles

by Sauronix



Series: Nix's Tumblr Fics [7]
Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Cactuars, Flash Fic, Gladio Becomes a Pincushion, Injury, Less Humour Than You Might Expect, M/M, Rated T for Butts, Tumblr Prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-04
Updated: 2018-02-04
Packaged: 2019-03-13 14:20:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 941
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13572378
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sauronix/pseuds/Sauronix
Summary: “Thanks, Iggy,” Gladio says. “Sorry you have to deal with this.”Ignis smiles and rubs down Gladio’s buttocks and thighs with antiseptic wipes. “That’s quite all right. Certainly better than losing an arm or taking a gut wound, wouldn’t you say?”“When it comes to you and me, this ain’t exactly the ass handling I had in mind.”A flash fic in response to the prompt "things you said through your teeth."





	One Thousand Needles

**Author's Note:**

  * For [banjkazfan](https://archiveofourown.org/users/banjkazfan/gifts).



> This was in response to the prompt "things you said through your teeth" on [my Tumblr](https://sauronix.tumblr.com/). 
> 
> This fic is 100% inspired by [this delightful piece of art](http://ruiojousama.tumblr.com/post/168387196513/day-6-prompt-for-gladnisweek-battle-wounds) by [ruiojousama](http://ruiojousama.tumblr.com/).

As darkness falls, they hurry toward the runestones glowing in the distance. Prompto and Noctis half carry Gladio between them, almost dragging him across the grassy plain, while Ignis rummages through the contents of their first aid kit. They’ve been walking for most of the afternoon, pausing every few minutes to give Gladio some time to rest, bent face-first over a rock or a log. None of them expected the hunt to go so wrong.

 _We should have been more prepared_ , Ignis thinks as he finds the heavy duty tweezers and pulls them out of the leather bag.

“Prompto, please spread out the sleeping bags next to the fire pit,” Ignis says as they climb up onto the haven plateau where they’ve been camping for the past three nights, “then help Noct lay Gladio down on his front.”

“You got it, Igster.”

“And fetch me the lantern from the tent, won’t you? I’ll need some light for this.”

Prompto retrieves the requested items, and Ignis gets the fire going as Prompto and Noctis ease Gladio belly-down onto the sleeping bags. To his credit, Gladio doesn’t make a sound, not even a whimper, though his face is screwed up with pain. If it weren’t for that, Ignis might have allowed himself a quiet chuckle at Gladio’s predicament.

They really shouldn’t have underestimated that cactuar.

“Noct,” Ignis says, “I’ll need some water. Will you go down to the river with Prompto and fetch some?” When Noct nods and moves to step off the haven, Ignis adds, “But take care not to run into any daemons, please, and hurry back.”

“Yeah, we’ll be careful, Specs, don’t worry,” he says, and he and Prompto disappear into the darkness beyond the haven.

Ignis turns back to Gladio, studying the half-dozen thick spines buried in his thighs and rear end. There were more, at first, though the three of them managed to pull out most of the needles that got him in the back. The thin fabric of his tank top yielded them easily enough, but the leather of his pants was another matter. Those were firmly lodged, impossible to remove. Ignis briefly debated fetching the Regalia and driving him back to camp, but, as he wasn’t able to sit, Gladio had no choice but to limp back to the haven.

“How are you doing?” Ignis murmurs as he grasps the shaft of one spine with the tweezers.

“Surviving,” Gladio says through gritted teeth, “but it hurts like hell, so get on with it already.”

“There are six of them,” Ignis says. “I’ll do this as quickly as I can.”

Without waiting for Gladio to respond, he tugs. After a bit of resistance, the needle comes free from Gladio’s thigh, slick with blood. Ignis tosses it aside and moves on to the next one, wincing every time Gladio grunts with pain. The ones protruding from his rump are a little more difficult to dislodge, but Ignis slowly, gently wiggles them loose and wraps all six needles in a handkerchief. He’ll dispose of those later.

“All gone,” he says softly, giving Gladio’s arm a squeeze. “Are you able to help me get your pants down? I’ll need to tend the wounds.”

Wordlessly, Gladio nods and raises his hips, and Ignis reaches under him to unbuckle his belt. He tugs Gladio’s pants and underwear down around his knees, just far enough to assess the bloody punctures in his skin. Each of them is inflamed; a few of them still well with blood. All look painful. Ignis rubs a reassuring hand over the rounded meat of one cheek before he turns again to his first aid kid and retrieves antiseptic wipes, a tube of ointment, and a potion.

“The potion isn’t strong enough to heal the wounds entirely,” he says, ripping open the pack of towelettes. “I’ll clean up the blood and treat the wounds with disinfectant. The potion will numb the pain and hasten the healing process.”

“Thanks, Iggy,” Gladio says. “Sorry you have to deal with this shit.”

Ignis smiles and rubs down Gladio’s buttocks and thighs with the wipes. “That’s quite all right. Certainly better than losing an arm or taking a gut wound, wouldn’t you say?”

“When it comes to you and me, this ain’t exactly the ass handling I had in mind.”

“I suppose there’s a certain irony to the situation,” Ignis admits. He squeezes a dollop of ointment onto his fingers and begins to rub it into Gladio’s skin, raising an eyebrow as the muscles of his rear end twitch at Ignis’s touch. “But there is a silver lining. Now you know better than to stand in a cactuar’s firing range.”

“Hey, I was protecting Noct.”

“True,” Ignis says, smiling again, “and I’d much rather remove needles from your behind than his.”

He administers the last of the ointment and the potion, then gives Gladio’s bottom one final pat before rising. They don’t often have the privacy to do much beyond kissing these days, and as tempting as it is to act on Gladio’s current state of undress, he can hear Noct and Prompto’s voices now, coming ever closer. Besides, Gladio is likely still sore and would prefer to rest. So he busies himself with putting away their first aid supplies and tucking the needles somewhere safe until he can bury them in the wilderness. Behind him, Gladio’s clothes rustle and his belt clanks as he makes himself decent.

There will be other times to be together the way he wants.

“So,” Noct says as he hands Ignis the bucket of water they brought with them from the river, “did you fix Gladio’s ass?”


End file.
